Within the heating oil industry, for example, due to the flexibility and ease of installation, copper tube has become the product of choice for conveying heating oil to homes or commercial installations. Because of the adverse conditions the tubing may be exposed to in some applications, on-site sleeving or factory coated copper has now become the industry norm in most areas. The tubing is often found in basements where it may be exposed to concrete or in corrosive soil conditions. Because of oil contamination, difficulty of clean up and/or use in areas where pipes and tubes are not always accessible along their entire length, there are concerns relating to undetected failures. In addition, some jurisdictions require an annular space or air cavity for assistance in leak detection. Similar conditions and issues are also experienced in other types of piping and tubing applications, including water pipes, natural gas lines, high and low pressure gas lines, or other fluid transfer conduits that would be known to a person skilled in the art.
Sleeves for tubes and pipes that are used for protecting same from external conditions and for containing leaks have generally been coupled to pipes or tubes on-site. Coated copper tubes, using both grooved and smooth inner surfaces, have been manufactured but may not meet certain code conditions relating to tubing type and use identification. Should the inner copper tube get fractured, or through corrosion develop a leak, the contents (for example, red heating oil) will leak out into the space between the sleeve and the tube. In some locations, not all parts of a tube or pipe are capable of being visually inspected because, for example, they are behind walls or other objects, underground, or otherwise difficult to access.
Therefore, there is a need for a new fluid transfer device that enables detection of leaks while overcoming at least one of the problems identified in the art.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the Applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.